Third place in qualifying offers cause for optimism: Last year’s IDM Supersport champion had a mixed first half of the season. Second place at the Lausitzring is the best result of the season for the KTM rider from Schwarzenberg-Pöhla. In the IDM standings so far this season, the 18-year-old from Saxony is in eighth place.
“It’s a shame things didn’t go so well in the first few races,” Erhard sums up. “My goal is to score as many points as possible in the remaining races.” The KTM rider is optimistic about the races in Schleiz now that a mechanical issue with the RC 390R has been resolved. “On the straight at Oschersleben, I couldn’t keep up with the pace of the leaders,” Erhard explains. But the KTM was already back in top form for his World Championship race in Misano.
Nevertheless, Erhard was unable to turn his wildcard entry—which he received as a reward from IDM tire supplier Pirelli—into a tangible success. “It started raining during qualifying, but I simply lack the experience, and with such a large field of starters, I couldn’t manage a clear lap,” said Erhard. His IDM races and the free practice sessions were held on a dry track. The chance race for the final starting positions also took place in the rain. As a result, the IDM champion’s World Championship campaign ended sooner than he would have liked.
Now the KTM rider, who is competing in the Freudenberg WorldSSP Academy this season, is focusing entirely on the IDM season. In Schleiz, he’s hoping to ride in the slipstream of his teammates Jan-Ole Jähnig and Victor Steeman, both of whom have made the leap from the IDM to the World Championship. “I’m trying to keep up with their pace and open up a gap to the riders behind me,” says Erhard about his strategy in Schleiz.